Is the Swine Flu less severe for those over 50?

The other day I discussed building your immune system to protect yourself from the flu. But here’s some news that might make some of us born before 1957 smile with a small sigh of relief. “People born before 1957 may be less susceptible than younger people to the H1N1 swine flu. CDC researchers have detected antibodies in the blood of older people that neutralize the new flu bug now sweeping the nation according to Daniel Jernigan, MD, MPH, deputy director of the CDC's flu division."

We may still get a bad cold or even still get a flu bug but this insight might put some of our bigger fears to rest….at least for those us older folks. Now more than ever we have to not only eat healthy for ourselves but pass  healthy eating habits on to our children so they stay well.

Click here to find out how doctors prevent contacting the flu and viruses.

Build your Immune System

Most of us are experiencing exposure to people who are becoming sick due to colds or the flu. More and more info keeps popping up on how to stay well. Honestly though the best way not to get sick is to build your immune system. So here are some tips to do so:

• Get adequate rest, at least 6 to 8 hours each night. This is the time the body rebuilds and repairs itself so allow it to do so!
• Drink enough fluids,1-2 quarts daily, especially water. Water is the universal detox liquid. And, contrary to what you frequently hear about fruit juices they really aren't the best way to go; they are primarily just the sugar of the fruit which can actually deplete the immune system when consumed in excess.
• Consume a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, offering great vitamin, antioxidants and plant sterols that safeguard the immune system.
• Do avoid sugar, fructose and simple refined carbohydrates. These quickly compromise the immune system.
• Researcher David Nieman, Dr.PH suggests quercetin, green tea extract and fish oil to help immune system. Also, enough can’t be said about vitamin D3 to enhance immunity so get out in the sun when you can! Adding high quality vitamins and minerals to your diet might help as well.  And of course, you want to eat healthy to get nutrients from your food intake.
• Dr. Nieman suggests moderate exercise when you are well but not to overdue it either. Exercise to build your immune system but be cautious when you are just getting over being ill or coming down with something.
• And even though simple washing of your hands more consistently may not build your immune system specifically, it does helps keep those lurking virus bugs from attaching on to you.  Keep your hands away from your face as much as possible too.

For an user friendly, interesting and sometimes amusing video on how a virus enters the body see this!

Does having a normal weight mean you are always healthy?

Most medical authorities utilize the BMI (body mass index) as a means to determine if a person may be at risk for heart disease and diabetes, as well as overweight. However according to the Archives of Internal Medicine,  a quarter of even  normal weight adults had high blood pressure and high triglycerides, and high blood glucose blood work-ups, putting them at risk  for cardiovascular disease and metabolic disease.

So what’s the take home message here? Just because you are within a normal weight range doesn’t mean you will automatically be and remain healthy. You still have to have healthy eating habits, exercise regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle to keep from getting common diseases. You may have a family history or even your ethnicity may put you at risk for any given health condition.

"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." Confucius

Metabolism like a 20 Year Old?

Recently I was doing some fall cleaning and came across an old issue of Prevention magazine and saw: The Ultimate Over 40 Fat Fighter. According to Prevention a person can speed up her metabolism to reverse a slowing metabolism by combining a “blend of calorie-blasting and supercharged strength-training to burn more calories than you did in your 20’s.” This sure sounds promising.

The plan raises your core body temperature and increases the activity of fat-burning enzymes, says Chip Harrison, exercise physiologist, director of strength and fitness at Pennsylvania State University, and co-author of The Female Athlete.  The basic guidelines are:

1. Commit to doing some cardio daily, alternating with three different routines to maximize fat burning.
2. Three times a week during your cardio, alternate with two minute bursts of high intensity with two minute bouts of moderate intensity.
3. Three times a week, warm-up for five minutes then do a 20 minute steady cardio, keeping your heart rate in the aerobic zone, then slow for three more minutes.
 4. One time a week do a 60 minute endurance builder. Start with a five minute warm-up then do a moderate intensity for the rest of the hour.
 5. Three times a week when you are performing the steady cardio, do 20 more minutes of a high energy dumbbell routine.

This link will provide you with more details if you can commit to the required daily 30-40 minutes and one day of 60 minutes exercise time.

Bad Carbs and Eye Health

The continuing popularity of the low-carb craze keeps finding more evidence to support its cause. Here’s some news regarding eye health. Note this is about the unhealthy, simple and refined carbohydrates which are also related to numerous other health conditions prevalent today including weight gain, heart disease and diabetes.

New details about the association between high carbohydrates and cataract risk have emerged from a study reported in the June 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (volume 81, pages 1411-1416). Those who consume  simple and refined carbohydrates and other foods with a high glycemic index were more likely to develop age-related eye degeneration. Once again we are advised to stick with more whole food choices and cut back on the sugary sweets and sodas.

Also there are numerous other topics regarding specific foods that are "insightful" to eye health. For example  low-carb frequently means high protein and fat intake but there were some interesting facts about how too much protein and the unhealthy fats may be harmful for healthy eyesight. Once again it's all about the right balance and whole foods. Consume sugar and refined carbs in moderation not as your usual staple!

Address Emotional Eating and Lose Weight

I know this may sound cliche (and maybe just too easy) but one thing I have always suggested for emotional eaters is to journal feelings. I suggest it because those who do it are much more successful  mastering their emotional eating! Negative feelings frequently occur because specific needs are not  being appropriately met. By making this self-realization a person can gain more control over any kind of emotional eating (stress, frustration, boredom, anger, etc.)

When you truly understand what you are feeling through writing  you might also also note any patterns that might occur. For example do you find you always eat when you are overwhelmed and stressed? How can you get your needs met better or how can you diffuse the stress in an appropriate way? Do you find that you always eat in specific situations with certain people? By exploring these things in a food diary and/or along with your feelings you can figure things out and take some steps to actively change your eating behaviors.

For more direction with emotional eating and writing you might try reading the Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size by Julia Cameron. She's got some  inspiring insights of what others have discovered and some specific writing techniques which ultimately helped them overcome emotional eating.

The bottom line is if you self-sabotage your dieting efforts because of any kind of emotional eating you need to address the feeling behind the eating regardless of how you find the correlation.

Success in Weight Loss is a Mindset

Wouldn’t it be great if you realized that the very obstacles you seem to face are merely created in your mind rather than being real? When you view something with self-doubt rather than the “I can” attitude full of faith and conviction you will succeed. So replace doubt and fear with a strong conviction of certainty and you will succeed. You give away your own power to the food rather than realizing your mind can be stronger. So no matter where you are in your weight loss, rethink it,  start today with a different strong life force of real faith of self encouragement, belief, and trust in yourself that this time you will make it.

But  just how do you do it? Face the challenges head on, step by step, day by day, challenge by challenge and get help if you need to. So even if the upcoming holidays seem so full of temptations  remember you really can be successful. Act as if failure really is impossible because it is if you believe that.

“Act as if failure is impossible, and your success will be assured. Wipe out every thought of your not achieving your objective, be brave and set no limits on the workings of your imaginations. Never be a prisoner of your past, Become the architect of your future…and you will see that nothing can stop you.”  - Author unknown

Dirty Little Secrets that Restaurants Hide

I’ve never been a fan of pushing dining out whether in regular restaurants or fast foods but now I’m convinced it’s a downright conspiracy to keep American overweight and unhealthy. In fact the writers of Eat This Not That have started confronting some local chains.  I applaud their efforts to let the public see things as they really are. Here’s just one of many dirty little secrets they found:

“Maggiano's Little Italy doesn't want you to know just how many calories and carbs you're consuming in those massive pasta portions. (As the menu puts it, "Family-style service or individual entrees are available ... Whichever you choose, you'll have plenty to share or take home.") Note In Italy, a standard pasta serving means 4 ounces of noodles with a few tablespoons of sauce. At Maggiano’s, a large order of pasta translates into two pounds of noodles piled high on a hubcap-size dinner plate (15 inches in diameter). A PR rep responded to our request for nutritional information a week later: "Sorry for the delay, I had to wait for corporate approval. Unfortunately, they have declined to participate." - "July 2008 Update: With no New York City locations, Maggiano's is still hiding from us — and you. But we're still watching.”

Do read more dirty little secrets that have been discovered here.  I'm sure there are numerous other resturants besides the ones discovered here doing similar things. These examples are exactly why the public needs to have the nutritional information boldly posted. Ignorance certainly is not bliss when it comes to our health.

Conquer HalloweenTemptation

The other day I gave you some tips to get you through the challenging day of Halloween. These few tips will help you get the right attitude to follow through on them:

• Realize that you really do have discipline, willpower and self-control.  I know you have accomplished things in life that have required these qualities, right? Well, losing weight is not that different, you just have to channel your focus towards it.  Remember it’s really about attitude and your committed decision that controls discipline and willpower.  You don’t allow people to control you, so don’t allow food to control you either! Don’t give permission to let if affect how you feel. You have the power!
• Be grateful your life is not about your weight.  Put things in perspective. You have all the basics in life if not a few luxuries, something that billions of others cannot say. You have the power of choice which is something that you should cherish every waking moment. Once you are thankful for the things you do have in life, not having that ideal weight today won't matter as much. You may not be exactly where you want to be, but note there are others that aren’t even close to where you are.
• Need more? Read this for more attitude adjustment.

Happy Halloween! Focus on the holiday fun rather than the so-called treats. (It's not a treat if you feel bad for eating too much of it.)

Haunted by Halloween Treats?

Halloween is the kick off season for weight gain. Don’t be “tricked” into devilish weight gain! Here are some tips to stay on track:

• Buy Halloween candy the day before Halloween so it’s not sitting around to tempt you. Store it in places where you are not constantly exposed to it.
• Purchase only the candy items that you don’t like.
• Consider passing out non-food treats to the kids.
• If you absolutely must have a Halloween candy, enjoy a moderate amount of it, but only if it doesn’t set you off on a binge. Fruit of course, would be the best choice.
• Emphasize the fun part of Halloween. 
• Halloween night is so hectic sometimes a healthy meal is not even a consideration. Plan on consuming leftovers from the night before or have something you can just grab and eat or assemble quickly.
• Eat dinner a bit earlier so you get that evening meal in. If you miss dinner entirely it’s a set up for over indulging later!
• Offer to buy your kid's candy when it comes in so the leftovers aren't "haunting" you. Then get rid of it. Or keep the extra candy in a spot where you aren't constantly tempted to see it and eat it.
• Enlist your spouse or friend to support you (NOT be the food police).
• Just because those mini candies are so little, remember they can add up real quick.
  
• Tackle this challenge with a positive attitude! Check Dana's blog as well for additional input on Halloween challenges.
  

It won’t be a Happy Halloween if you feel bad about over doing it the next day and you won't feel like the devil made you do it!